Steven Wolfe Pereira to lead Encantos as CEO

The co-founder of the company behind Spanish preschool brand Canticos takes over the role from Nuria Santamaria Wolfe.

California-based edutainment company Encantos Media Studios has tapped co-founder Steven Wolfe Pereira as its new CEO. He is taking over the role from Nuria Santamaria Wolfe, another Encantos co-founder, who has been serving as CEO since 2015. Santamaria Wolfe will transition to being chief marketing officer.

Wolfe Pereira steps in immediately, and will continue to serve as chairman of its board of directors. Prior to starting Encantos, he served on the boards of several educational companies including educational assistance hubb Chegg, and SMASH, a program that prepares students of color for STEM college studies. He was also the VP of brand strategy and marketing solutions at tech company Oracle until 2016, and VP of partnership marketing and business intelligence at Univision.

Encantos, focused on kids under 14, develops multicultural entertainment and educational brands and launched its first IP, Canticos, in 2016. The Latin preschool property brings Spanish-language nursery rhymes to life through children’s books, interactive apps and sing-along videos. Nickelodeon partnered with Encantos, the following year, to develop a line of baby- and toddler-focused consumer products spanning toys, accessories, publishing and home. The two companies expanded the partnership last year, when Nick announced Canticos nursery rhymes would be available on Nick’s digital preschool platforms, including NickJr.com, the Nick Jr. app and Noggin.

The company also announced plans to relocate its headquarters from San Francisco to Culver City, California on April 1 because the city is a hub of creativity and technology, as well as home to companies like Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures Studios.